Religion and Public Schools: International Perspectives Unit

The “Religion and Public Schools: International Perspectives” (RPS) Unit focuses on the global relationship between religion and education (RE) across diverse historical, geographical, cultural, political, and pedagogical settings.

Religion Education Future(s) and Assessment(s)

Rapid social change, religious diversification, technological innovation, and renewed debates about the role of education in democratic and plural societies are re-shaping the role of RE. These transformations raise pressing questions about the future orientation of the field and about how its aims, learning outcomes, and social functions can be meaningfully assessed.

We invite contributions that address two closely and interconnected areas of reflection and practice in RE: future-oriented approaches to the field and questions of assessment and evaluation. We welcome theoretical, empirical, comparative, and practice-based contributions from different national and educational contexts.

Possible topics include, but are not limited to:

Religion and Education for the Future

• What does it mean for RE to prepare students for engaged citizenship in the coming decades?
• How are ideas such as democratic participation, social cohesion, critical thinking, and pluralism addressed within RE curricula and classroom practices?
• How have schools, educational systems, or national frameworks updated RE curricula or pedagogical approaches in response to changing social and religious landscapes?
• In what ways are contemporary religious and non-religious worldviews represented in RE today?
• How have teachers integrated digital tools, platforms, and emerging technologies into the religion classroom, and with what pedagogical aims?

Assessment in Religion Education

• What are the aims and learning objectives of RE, and how can these be articulated in assessable terms?
• How can RE address the challenge of assessing learning outcomes that are often qualitative, interpretative, or reflective in nature?
• What kinds of assessment practices are currently used in RE, and how do they align with stated educational goals?
• Examples of creative, formative, or alternative assessment tools in RE.
• New approaches to evaluation, including self-assessment, portfolio-based assessment, or dialogical and participatory models.

We encourage proposals that engage critically with current debates, offer innovative methodological approaches, reflect on concrete teaching and assessment practices, and align with the focus of our unit. Additionally, we welcome submissions outside these themes, including pre-arranged sessions offering global perspectives on RE.

We value sessions that embrace diversity across genders, racial/ethnic backgrounds, and a spectrum of fields, methodologies, and scholarly levels.

Co-sponsored session with Teaching Religion Unit, Teaching and Learning about Religion Beyond the Classroom

The landscape of education is changing rapidly, from primary school through university, and the structures that supported the academic study of religion are changing at the same time. There are more and more opportunities to teach and learn about religion outside of the traditional classroom setting, from museum exhibits designed to engage young children and their families with their religiously diverse neighbors, to community and continuing education; from new online opportunities to religious literacy training embedded in workforce development programs. This call seeks papers that examine the experiences and/or impacts of teaching or learning about religion in alternative settings.

Topics could include:

- teaching about religion in museums, libraries, and other cultural institutions;

- intergenerational learning or teaching opportunities;

- online courses outside of a university program;

- continuing education for casual learners (non-degree programs);

- public installations, exhibits, or experiences;

- students-focused programs outside of school hours;

- the integration of learning about religion with other forms of training.